


Kelly

by tatersalad5001



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: (this is. uh. pre-episode 30 of amnesty), Canonical Character Death, Drabble, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-22 18:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatersalad5001/pseuds/tatersalad5001
Summary: There were two envelopes. One addressed to Duck. One addressed to Aubrey.When Aubrey first saw her envelope, she wanted to leave it where it was. It was obvious who left it. But she did open the envelope, and she did read the letter inside. Ned at least deserved that. Because...because the last time Aubrey had seen Ned, it was here, in the Cryptonomica, and these letters weren’t here then.
Relationships: Edmund "Ned" Chicane & Aubrey Little, Edmund "Ned" Chicane & Aubrey Little & Duck Newton
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	Kelly

There were two envelopes. One addressed to Duck. One addressed to Aubrey.

When Aubrey first saw her envelope, she wanted to leave it where it was. It was obvious who left it, and a big part of her didn’t want to see what was inside. It would make everything seem even more final, more real, than it already was. Even more than seeing Ned’s dead fucking body with her own eyes did, somehow. That didn’t make any sense. But it would remind her again about what was missing from her life now. It’d reopen the wounds she already had felt since she last walked through the gate.

But she did open the envelope, and she did read the letter inside. That was hard, but the longer she waited, the harder it would be. And she’d regret it if she didn’t. Ned at least deserved for her to read some of his final words, words he’d directed specifically for her.

Because...because the last time Aubrey had seen Ned still standing, it was here, in the Cryptonomica, and these letters weren’t here then.

Did Ned know? When he wrote these letters, did he know these would be the last things he’d ever say to Duck and Aubrey? He probably did. Most of his stuff had already been packed up, further evidence of what his letter told Aubrey, that he’d been about to leave town. Did he know these would be some of the last words he’d ever communicate to anyone for the rest of his life? Did he know how little time he had left? Aubrey doubted it. This wasn’t something anyone really planned on happening to them, unless they could see the future. And no one, not even their friends that could see glimpses of the future, had seen this coming.

It was an accident.

It was an accident. Ned’s death was an accident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, except maybe the shape-shifting abomination, but they didn’t pull the trigger. And no one had meant to shoot Ned!

It was an accident, and sometimes accidents just happen. And they weren’t anyone’s fault. Aubrey was well aware of that by now. This wasn’t the first time an accident had taken someone out of her life for good.

You’d think that would make it easier to deal with this. You’d think she would be getting used to this by now. But it wasn’t easier. It still hurt, and it hurt a hell of a lot. 

As Aubrey read the letter Ned left for her, her hands shook so hard she could barely read the words on it. Or maybe she was having trouble reading it because she could barely see at all through the tears she couldn’t stop from running down her face.

A hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked up. Duck didn't say anything to her, but he squeezed her shoulder gently to help ground her, and he offered her a...was that supposed to be a smile? Looked more like a grimace, but Aubrey didn't call any attention to it. He must have been hurting over Ned's death, too.

She wiped the tears away best she could, took a deep breath, and started over again, the words a little easier to read now.

Ned didn't try to make excuses. Ned didn't ask for forgiveness. In the letter, all Ned asked was for Aubrey to hate him. To hate him, so she could pour her love into everyone else instead.

Aubrey bit her lip.

Ned...she didn't hate Ned. She couldn't hate Ned. Because, the way she felt... What Ned had done, it wouldn't have upset her so much if she did hate him. If she didn't care about him, if he wasn't her friend. She couldn't hate him. Maybe she would've said differently before, before she saw Ned's dead body with her own eyes, but deep down, it wouldn't have been true. Some part of her would hate the things he'd done, but she could never completely hate him. And maybe she'd feel differently now if she were reading this letter and Ned were still alive, but that wasn't the world she was living in right now. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on that.

Aubrey glanced over at Duck again.

She couldn't help but wonder what his letter said, even though it was private between him and Ned, just as her own was. She and Ned had already been separated from Duck for some time before Ned bit the bullet. Did Duck know what had happened between her and Ned before that? Aubrey hadn't said anything to Duck, so probably not. Not unless Ned was telling Duck himself in his letter. Aubrey wasn't the only person who had lost a friend and trusted companion that day. Duck was probably confused. He didn't deserve this. She felt bad, but she couldn't blame herself for it.

It would be easy to. She was the one who told Ned to leave in the first place, but she also told him to clean up the mess he'd made. If she hadn't said that, would he have gone to the gate? Would he still be alive? Maybe, maybe not. It'd be so easy to blame herself for this. But she couldn't let herself do that. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't, because she also knew it wasn't true. This whole thing was an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault, not even her. Ned wouldn't want her to blame herself, either. She could practically hear him telling her that if this was anyone's fault, it was his own. 

Ned wanted her to hate him. But he wanted her to love all the people in her life, too. The friends and family she'd made here in Kepler. And she could do that, but sorry, Ned, that included you, too.

Some part of her would hate him, yeah. Or at least, what he'd done. And she'd never forgive him for it. But he'd still been her friend, and she would always still love him.

**Author's Note:**

> I am still crying over episode 28. I'm in the middle of episode 31 right now and I'm still crying over episode 28. My heart is breaking for all these guys. I love Amnesty.
> 
> please keep any spoilers for anything episode 31 and after out of this thank u i will catch up eventually,
> 
> Thanks for reading!! Hope you enjoyed!!


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